Mathias Runck, born January 1, 1843, in Luxembourg, Germany, was a retired farmer in Casselton, North Dakota in 1908. Emigrating to the U.S. in 1868, he initially settled in Winona County, Minnesota, and later in Waseca County. In 1880, he purchased land in Maple River Township, North Dakota, becoming a pioneer in Cass County. Runck developed one of the finest farms in the Red River Valley, eventually owning over a thousand acres. Active in local affairs, he served as township chairman and treasurer. Married in 1873, he had five children, including Joseph, who managed the farm.
Mathias Runck, a retired farmer of Casselton, North Dakota, is a native of Luxembourg, Germany, was born January 1, 1843. In 1868, he came to this country and settled in Winona County, Minnesota. He later purchased and settled on a farm in Waseca County, Minnesota, and lived there until 1882. In 1880, he bought from the Northern Pacific Railroad Company a tract of land in Maple River Township, Cass County, North Dakota, which formed the nucleus of what is widely known as one of the finest and best-improved farms in the Red River Valley. Moving here in 1882, Mr. Runck was one of the pioneer settlers of the county and has been active in developing the resources of the county and making it, as it is, the garden spot of the state.
Mr. Runck has always been a hard worker, and by his industry and thrift and wise foresight, he has been able to add to his original purchase, and now owns more than a thousand acres of the most fertile and productive land in Cass County. Mr. Runck, having retired from the farm to his beautiful home in Casselton, the place is successfully carried on by his son, Joseph, a wide-awake, practical, and up-to-date farmer who received a practical education at the Fargo Agricultural College. Together with his brother, John, he was one of the first students of that institution in its early days.
Mr. Runck was married in 1873, and of the five children born, the eldest, Rosa, conducts a millinery establishment at Dickinson, N.D.; Joseph carries on his father’s farm; John and Nicholas conduct a general store, including farm machinery, at Kathryn, North Dakota, and Anna is married to Mr. Andrew Tahmert, a farmer of Pratt, Minnesota.
Mr. Runck has been prominent in local affairs. He assisted in the organization of the township, has served as chairman of the town board, and for some years was the town treasurer. Since living in Casselton, Mr. Runck has acquired considerable city property and is actively engaged in improving and beautifying the same, and it already yields him a handsome income. He is also interested in one of the local banks and is one of its directors.
In political sentiment, he is a Democrat, and with his family, in religious faith, affiliates with the Catholic Church.
Source
C.F. Cooper & Company, History of the Red River Valley, Past And Present: Including an Account of the Counties, Cities, Towns And Villages of the Valley From the Time of Their First Settlement And Formation, volumes 1-2; Grand Forks: Herald printing company, 1909.